HIGH-FASHION MALL ATTRACTS TOP DESIGNERS

By ANNE-MARIE SCHIRO, Special to the New York Times

Published: September 8, 1987

MANHASSETT, L.I.—
Hermes, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton. These names don't normally appear on signs in shopping malls in this part of the country. But those names - and more - can be found at the Americana in Manhasset, L.I.

The shopping center has been called the Madison Avenue of the North Shore. It has been compared to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. While it has boutiques in common with both those shopping areas, it has a character all its own. And that character has been enhanced by the recent appearance of three high-fashion boutiques: Hermes, which opened July 23, Armani and Valentino, both of which are opening today.

The Americana is not one of the new breed of multilevel covered malls but a string of 63 one-story shops with tasteful storefronts, trees and flower plantings, which face Northern Boulevard.

Its customers, many of whom are 40 years old and under, arrive in Jaguars, Mercedeses, BMW's and the latest chic wheels: Jeeps. Their dress is casual, in keeping with Long Island's everyday style, but the button-down shirt is from Brooks Brothers, the cashmere sweater from Ralph Lauren, the handbag from Vuitton and the scarf from Hermes.

''We've got lots of Yuppies, and they all have to have something from Hermes,'' said Charlotte Pickman-Gertz, who opened the Hermes boutique.

The shop is a miniature version of the Hermes shops on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris and on East 57th Street in New York. Like the other Hermes boutiques, it was designed by Rena Dumas, wife of Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermes, chairman of the company, with cherrywood vitrines and frosted light fixtures. It carries clothing, china, table linens, beach towels, neckties, leather goods and, of course, scarfs.

Mrs. Pickman-Gertz carved the long, narrow space out of the Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutique she opened 10 years ago.

''When we first opened,'' she recalled, ''we had to teach Saint Laurent to Long Island.''

Now, in addition to Saint Laurent, she also sells Karl Lagerfeld, Armani's less expensive White Label collection and Missoni's new Dona line. The First to Move In

Hirshleifer's, whose main store is in Forest Hills, Queens, was the first high-fashion boutique in the Americana when it opened 30 years ago. The shopping center at that time consisted of supermarkets and such retailers as J. J. Newberry and Lerner's, said Frank Castagna, president of Fifth Avenue of Long Island Realty Associates, owners and operators of the shopping center.

''If we had tried to go the high-fashion route back in the 1950's,'' Mr. Castagna said in a recent interview, ''we'd have gone bankrupt. The time wasn't right. As times changed, we made an effort to get high-fashion stores, and a momentum developed. Now, except for Waldbaum's at one end, the mall is all fashion. It's as complete a clothing statement as we can make.''

Actually, it's not all fashion. In addition to Ann Taylor, Benetton, Brooks Brothers, Sonia Rykiel, Laura Ashley, the Miss Maud division of Maud Frizon shoes, the Gap and Banana Republic, the mall has Record World, B. Dalton, Meyrowitz Optical, Lazar's Chocolates and two restaurants. And more are coming. Burberry's and Williams-Sonoma, the California purveyor of expensive cookware, are scheduled to open in October, a Coach store in January and a new Liz Claiborne retail venture, as yet unnamed, sometime next year.

Meanwhile, shoppers can explore the two newest boutiques: Armani and Valentino. A free-standing shop for each of them is being opened by Hirshleifer's, whose shops in the mall already stock clothes by such designers as Ferre, Versace, Basile, Chanel, Ungaro, Missoni, Blass, Galanos, Carolyne Roehm, Carolina Herrera and Fabrice.

''We've been selling Valentino about 12 years,'' said Paul Hirshleifer, president of the company. ''We were interested in selling Armani, but they weren't interested in selling in boutiques other than their own.'' Freestanding Boutiques

Then Hirshleifer's presented the idea of a freestanding boutique to each of the designers, and each said yes. The boutiques, which were designed by the architect Peter Marino, are adjacent to the main Hirshleifer's store.

''Statistically,'' Mr. Hirshleifer said, ''this area of the North Shore, which includes Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Kings Point and Great Neck, has the highest per capita spendable income in the country. It's also a young area. The average age of our customer is under 40.''

''It took years to get these people to come into a shopping mall,'' he continued. ''The revolution happened within the last 10 or 12 years. But they're here now.'' And so are the shops to cater to them.